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Thursday, October 10, 2013

It has been a while...

It has been a while since I posted here. Too long, perhaps. I have not forgot about this blog, instead, I have been busy moving across the United States, from the east coast to the west coast. I have also been preparing for my wife to give birth to our first (and only) child. On top of all that, I am looking for employment, which has been slow. I must say that it was satisfying to not tell the world about having a child over Facebook, even though others thought it should be shared on the site. I did not want this child to be another "Facebook baby," however.

Many of my more recent comments mention that it is hard to stay away from Facebook. At one time it was hard to stay away from Facebook, however, as days pass, I find it easier to not want to be on the site at all. It does get easier. At first you will feel that you are missing out by not being on Facebook, but once you are away long enough, you'll feel great for not wanting to be involved with the (a)social media world any longer.

I had a chance to take a look back at the world of Facebook recently, in fact. My wife took the jump and permanently deactivated her account. She actually had me do it for her. I am very proud of her move. She decided that with a baby coming that she has no need to ever get back on the site. I must say that two years ago, my decision to leave Facebook was one of the best choices I have ever made. In fact, when I look at how obsessed I was with the website and how little I accomplished while being on Facebook, I can not say that it was no small accomplishment.

For those who think that Facebook is an essential tool for a happy healthy life, you might want to look at what you are missing out by not being on Facebook before you draw a conclusion. Many individuals that are users of Facebook are 'power users'. That means that you are drawn to log onto Facebook whenever you are conscious.

Should You Use Facebook For Your Etsy Store or Online Advertising?

Many Etsy users are saying Facebook is not worth it on Etsy and for selling items.

"As a middle school teacher, Facebook was my sworn enemy. Nothing has ever created such drama or promoted such blatant cruelty as Facebook in the hands of unsupervised tween girls. I have a hard time even considering using it, despite reading how crucial it is to success on Etsy. I've also heard complaints from friends who say people are now more frequently using it solely for self-promotion, which they dislike. So for the time being, I'll pass. Better for me to spend my time knitting."

Don't be fooled by the articles that state that Facebook is essential to do well online. The truth is Facebook is about as needed as a dirty dishtowel in a diamond store. Many of these articles are written by those who have a financial stake in Facebook. Furthermore, many of these articles throw in Facebook because it's something easy to add to an article.

Facebook is a nasty little site that seems to want its users to be locked online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Purge that urge to log on. Purge that urge to spend your life behind a glowing screen. There is a real world outside that is just wanting to be enjoyed. Are you going to waste another minute on Facebook? I hope not. I hope that you decide to log off for good.

Thank you! I know what you mean. It is sometimes hard to stay off Facebook when co-workers and family are trying to get you on the site. However, there are far better ways to communicate than Facebook, especially in the employment sector. Employer's would be prudent to try to limit, rather than promote, employee's time on Facebook.

Nice to hear your update about your family. Now that my account is deleted, just last week, I have actually emailed a few friends to ask how they are. I had stopped doing that before, as I could just browse their timeline and see what was new. I know if I went back, it would be the same ol' thing - friends taking selfies, others posting trip pictures, just alot of stuff that they can share with me in person, if they wish too. Though so far only one person has noticed that I'm not on the site! Just goes to show that people are on there to promote themselves. At work I don't miss fb at all. And so far on the weekends, I'm finding other things to do, as well I have blogs that I like to read. I used fb for 5 years. And now that time is over and I've moved on. I don't like the way you feel controlled by that site. What a complete time waster. Thanks for your insightful blog posts, they've really helped me alot.

I am glad you enjoyed the post. It is great that you reached out to your friends and asked them how their lives are. I have found it sometimes a challenge to reach out to old friends after having left Facebook. While some are impossible to reach, I have found that others respond with a much fuller and richer message than would have been said on a Facebook feed or wall.